In 2014, Germany had 202,815 people applying for asylum, according to Eurostat. That is more than twice as many as any other EU country.

An influx of people from war-torn countries has seen asylum applications in Germany increase by 160% from the 77,650 total for 2012. Syrian and Iraqi citizens combined made up 50,595 of the applications to Germany last year.

EU plans migrant quotas forcing states to 'share' burden

Read more

In contrast, the UK had a total of 31,945 applicants last year, which although sixth highest in the EU, was six times fewer than the German number.

Both France and Italy also had twice as many asylum seekers as Britain.

The perception that the UK is not pulling its weight when it comes to receiving asylum seekers is given further backing when you adjust the figures relative to each country’s population.

Under this measure, the country receiving by far the most applicants is Sweden, with 8,365 per million people living there. The UK received just 494, which compares to 2,513 for Germany and 972 for France.